Last month, NBCUniversal launched Beyond the Screen, the new movie trivia app for any film fan that likes to dabble in a bit of "second-screening".
The Beyond the Screen app is a bit like your DVD special features menu, with your usual trivia and stats info, except it syncs with the microphone to provide these features as the movie plays. Think soundtrack details and Spotify links as a particular song plays, etc.
Currently the app is only applicable with the Cornetto Trilogy, with an enormous amount of trivia and interesting references to play with, but there is a great amount of potential to be had if/when this expands to future films. Plenty more info here.
As a dab-hand at second-screening (it's rare for me to NOT have the IMDB trivia page open at any given time during a film), I cannot wait to get stuck into this app. Here are a few other go-to (but perhaps unconventional) websites that I rely on during film-viewing.
Does the dog die?
There are few things I dislike more than being caught unawares by the death of a beloved pet, or loyal animal sidekick. The shock can even put me off any future viewings of the film, regardless of how excellent the rest of the film could be.
Doesthedogdie.com means that, whilst I can't avoid the inevitable, I can be more prepared to deal with these scenes in the future, perhaps planning a quick toilet break during it...which leads me onto the next website.
RunPee
We've all been in that situation of squirming in our seats waiting for an opportune moment to rush to the toilets, but without wanting to miss anything good. This app is a giant database of 700+ films (movies are constantly added), catalogued into the "story-lull" moments. The app also lets you know whether to stick around after the credits or not. RunPee sort of flouts the "turn your mobiles off" rule, but when it's this handy, who cares?
Letterboxd
Like an online film diary, Letterboxd is a social network for film fans to share reviews or to simply list films watched. If you've ever used Goodreads, this is the movie equivalent.
